The Times He Saw Her
by Angel Winter
Summary: Taruto never forgot the times he saw Pudding Fong.


**Tokyo Mew Mew was the first anime i ever saw and Pudding and Taruto were the first couple I ever adored! So this is to say thanks to that for introducing me to anime and their many couples! :D Hope ya like it!**

* * *

The first time he saw her, it wasn't when they attacked that butterfly lady like everyone thought. No, he saw her first when he went exploring (without Pai's permission, he might add) and found himself crouched in the branches of one of the many trees surrounding the park's fountain, looking down at the spectacle beneath him.

It was a girl with blonde hair, vibrantly colored clothes, and a body seemingly made of rubber. Her wild personality nearly bursting from her small body, she leapt through the air, balancing plates on sticks and running on large beach balls, always shouting and smiling and asking for money. She was…almost inhuman, in the way she moved and spoke.

She was kind of like a monkey, he thought.

He watched her show for hours, smiling when she smiled, laughing when she laughed. He liked it. It made him feel good. But that feeling was ruined when he remembered she was part of the race that was hogging all the things his world was deprived of. He and the others will have to kill her and millions more soon.

So, a little reluctantly, he teleported back to the hideout, unwilling to let himself become attached to the girl's show.

He couldn't afford that.

But he still thought about her and her act.

* * *

The second time he saw her, he didn't feel happy at all. He felt only one thing.

_Betrayal._

Because the girl who'd entranced him with her show, made him laugh and smile (though she didn't know that), was a part of the group that was his sworn enemy. She was a Mew Mew.

And the monkey one, which was oddly fitting. But he couldn't make himself dwell on that fact for too long.

He just felt angry, _so angry_, that he'd let himself become happy from something from the enemy besides their pain. That he didn't even know she was the enemy. That she still didn't seem like a bad person.

So he swore to himself that he would make her cry once before he killed her. _He _would make her cry. _He _would have that triumphant, dispel any lingering feelings of happiness he'd attached to her with her tears.

And _he _would be the one to finally end her show forever.

* * *

The third time he saw her, she was the one who was angry. _Really _angry.

He had come and taken the spirit of a woman who'd driven the monkey girl home, transforming her into some kind of human-slash-chicken hybrid that made him want to roll over laughing, because what kind of chicken had a gun that shot out egg bombs?

He'd expected her to cry when she saw the woman, who'd apparently been special to her, turned into this creature. Expected her to fall to her knees and beg him to change her back. But she didn't. Instead, sick and weak as she was, she transformed into her Mew form and decided to fight him.

She was an idiot.

She was brave.

The two thoughts warred with each other in his head as he picked at her. "Why are you getting all worked up? Aw, your face is all red, too!" he teased unkindly. Then he asked condescendingly, as if he were older than she, "Can you even fight?"

Anger permeating her usually sweet and hyper voice, she yelled, "You're just talking big. Would you be all right without that monster beside you?"

That question made him blink, shocked. _Could _he really take this girl on without the Chimera Animals? Sure, he had his little balls-on-a-string and teleportation powers, but would that be enough? He covered up his thoughts by taking on an angry tone and shouting back, "You're really pissing me off!"

"Speak for yourself!" she yelled back.

He was getting sick of her back-talk by this point, so he sent the monster after her, watching it chase her down, all the while spitting seed bullets at her. She really was out of shape, he noted. She breathed heavily as she ran, which he knew would usually be easy for her. Plus she couldn't run as fast. When the creature blew up the ground at her feet and sent her spiraling through the air, he remembered feeling something new. Something unknown.

Guilt.

It wasn't really fair, or fun, beating her this way.

But the monster already had her wrapped up in what looked like uncooked sausage, so he pretended to be excited that he was winning. But then the other Mews showed up and saved the girl, helping her to defeat his monster. He acted angry when he teleported away, claiming that they'd better remember this, that he'd be back.

But on the inside, he felt kind of happy he hadn't kill the monkey there. And no matter how hard he tried to squash the feeling, it just wouldn't go away.

* * *

The fourth time he saw her, he'd finally given into a secret desire he'd held for a long time. He went to see another of her shows.

He crouched in the very same branch he had the first time, peeking down at the girl as she leaped and twirled about, grinning all the while, her audience cheering her own and tossing out coins that she caught happily. It was like a circus, something he had read about, except that there was only one performer. He found himself smiling again, like that first time, just barely holding back the urge to cheer with the crowd when she landed perfect from a somersault.

Then her eyes flickered in his direction, almost as if she knew he were there, watching her act. He froze, a feeling of dread creeping up inside of him. She couldn't know he was here. It would cause a lot of trouble for him if she told…but then her bright smile returned and her gaze drifted away, starting another acrobatic routine.

As soon as she looked away, he teleported back to the hideout. But no matter how many times he told himself she hadn't seen him, he never really believed it.

But, strange enough, he felt reassured by that last bright grin that had seemed to be directed at him. Almost like she was telling him she wouldn't rat him out to the others.

And, even more strange, he felt he could trust her.

* * *

The fifth time he saw her, she was being rescued by some unknown man. One who bowed to her. Who made him feel uneasy inside.

Why was he rescuing _his _toy? She was his to play with. No one else's. A feeling he didn't quite understand bubbled up inside of him, making him grit his teeth. He didn't like this guy.

That feeling still lingering, he teleported away.

* * *

The sixth time, he was spying on her and this man in her house (which he'd found just by accident…and the data Pai hid from him). The man was her fiancée. She didn't like him. She didn't want to marry him.

Secretly, he didn't want her to marry him, either. The thought made him feel bad inside. So he glared at the man through the time she yelled and wound up crying, the feeling just growing worse. Then finally she ran from the house, bursting through the door and nearly seeing him sitting in the bushes underneath the window. But she was still crying, so she didn't see him. She just ran, the man yelling for her to come back.

The feeling had gotten _very _strong now. So, scowling at nothing, he teleported away before he did anything stupid.

* * *

The seventh time he saw her, he was kidnapping her. But it was from the man who made her cry, so it seemed more like rescuing in his mind. Not that he wanted to rescue her or anything. _He _had to be the one to make her cry, not that fiancée person.

After tying her up and throwing a net over the man, he sneered at the fiancée and carried her off. She was surprisingly light in his arms, not heavy and a challenge to carry like he'd imagined. But she was yelling at him to let her go the whole time. It irritated him. He was sort of doing her a favor, although it wouldn't be for long, since it would come out to satisfy him in the end.

When they reached the arena Kish had told him to go to, he carried her in, though he moved his hands from around her to the holding the loose strings of her bindings, keeping her feet just above the surface of the fighting ring so that she could be easily dropped if needed but so that she couldn't hop away. The pink cat Mew that Kish had taken a liking to, a fact that irritated Pai to no end, was lying semi-conscious just a few feet away. When she saw the monkey girl, she tried to come and help, but the little baby monster leaped from the original and kept her busy, leaving the three (monster, him, girl) alone.

He told the monster to attack her, and it sent a flurry of punches and jabs in her direction. But she made herself swing from side to side, managing to avoid every blow. She even _smiled_. That pissed him off. She was supposed to be scared! She was supposed to cry, do something other than freaking smile! But there she was, grinning like the monkey she was. So, frustrated, he pulled on the bindings, tightening them. She gasped, "I can't move!" and he felt a small flash of victory. The monster sent a punch flying for her face and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting…and, for a split second, he felt bad again.

Felt bad for taking the smile off her face.

Felt bad for hurting her.

But it vanished when he realized she was standing off to the side and it was that dumb _fiancée _who'd really had the crap beaten out of him. Then he felt angry again. But the monkey defeated the creature without even transforming, her limbs only blurs as she punched and kicked. Then the pink Mew finished it all off, and they both went to help the unconscious man.

From where he hovered above the arena, he saw the scene, the yellow Mew asking if the man was all right, begging him to be all right. He clenched his fist, infuriated. That man had made her cry the night before! Had made her angry and sad. Yet here she was, trying to help him. What sort of logic was that?

_Forgiveness_ was the word that came to mind. She'd forgiven him.

But he couldn't afford to forgive the humans.

His planet depended on their extinction.

So, emotions churning wildly inside of him, he vanished into the air.

* * *

The eighth time, she was in a group again. A group of insane little kids. Her siblings, he guessed, watching from the trees as, instead of performing for the audience, she did small, amusing tricks that made the five kids laugh and clap and ask for more. She would do magic tricks, making coins disappear and then pull it from one of the little boys' ears. Made plastic flowers come out of her sleeve and handed them to the little girl. Made silly faces and the kids would laugh.

He watched her with a small, amused smile flickering onto his face, one that he was unable to squash. She was so nice. No, she was a part of the race he needed to destroy…but she had a nice smile.

That would be gone soon.

The smile he wore fell, sadness rising inside of him. She would be dead soon, in a matter of months. Because of him. So would the little kids she entertained so happily. That she loved.

He shouldn't feel sad. He knew that. But he couldn't help it.

With a sigh, he let himself vanish, unable to watch the smile he'd destroy any longer.

* * *

The ninth time he saw her, he was angry again, and not sad. The Mews were so stupid…did they really think that they would destroy a planet without any cause? That they were some evil mass murderers who did it just for the heck of it? And the yellow Mew stood there, glaring up at them, no concern for their planet and their families whatsoever.

It enraged him.

But they'd lost this battle. Pai said to retreat, because Kish was possibly fatally injured. That scared him. He'd lost so many to natural disasters on his planet…would he really lose Kish, one he considered a brother, too? So, with one final glare to the Mews (the monkey in particular), he lifted one of Kish's arms over his shoulder and helped him teleport back to the hideout.

* * *

The tenth time was the time she changed everything for him. But not, he thought later on, in a bad way.

She came hurtling down the hole he'd created into the hidden cave underneath the dome. She had already transformed, and her little monkey ears were twitching. He was surprised. She was a little early. "What the-? You're already here?" he exclaimed.

She turned, her eyes widening when she saw him. "What are you doing in a place like this, digging this huge hole?" she demanded, but her eyes traveled as she spoke, taking in the scenery with a slight look of awe. It sent a bit of pride through him.

"It's an experiment," he replied, and she turned back to him with confused eyes. He continued, "We're going to let the dome above fall. If it works, we'll do the same to all of Tokyo!"

"Oh, no!" she gasped, and he smiled a little. Then, suddenly, she said in that painfully innocent voice, "Doing something like that is dangerous, you know."

He flew down a little towards her, wondering how stupid she was. "Duh! That's why we're doing it!" He touched down on the ground, crossing his arms. "This is why I hate kids…"

A hand fell down on his hand, pressing down on his pigtails. He glared at her out of the corner of his eye as she grinned and said, "Wow, I'm a little bit taller!"

That ticked him off. He pulled away from her. "Shut up! Anyway, that's what'll happen if we keep digging. Pretty scary, huh?" He hoped to get a reaction from her, preferably a scared one.

But instead her eyes flashed with determination. "I won't let you!" she declared so certainly, like she just knew she would succeed.

But he wasn't intimidated by her prissy costume and evil Jell-O. He felt he could defeat her easily. "Stop me if you can," he taunted. And a monster erupted from the earth behind him, towering over them both.

As he let himself drift up towards the creature's head, he heard her gasp, "A Chimera Animal!" He grinned. She had to be a little scared by this point, right? He sent the monster after her, watching her flip and twirl to avoid the sharp claws. It was almost like watching one of her shows…but with a whole lot more dangerous outcome. When he realized she could keep dancing out of the way, he began to get frustrated. He got really irritated when she got enough distance and time to call out what she called her "Pudding Ring" and encase the monster in the gelatin-like substance.

She cheered, but then he saw the faint trembling in the walls. So he grinned back at her, which caused her cheers to falter with suspicion. Then another monster burst forth from behind her, and she cried, "Another?" Then she leapt out of the way as the claws came down at her. She landed in a cartwheel, and kept spinning away, smiling all the while. "Too slow!" she shouted.

The frustration returned. Why wasn't she scared? So he used his powers to call out vines from the ground, wrapping around her when she stopped cartwheeling and holding her in place. The monster raised its claws, ready to tear her to pieces, and a small amount of panic flashed in her eyes. He felt a temporary victory…

And then the walls came down on them. The monster reared back, disappearing into the earth, and the Mew and him screamed as dirt fell on them, knocking him to the ground, the vines vanishing as he fell. She quickly scrambled towards him, her hands outstretched as if she thought he would help her. He sat up and watched and, for a moment, felt the urge to take her hand and pull her forward to safety. So, praying Pai never found out, he grasped her fingers and pulled her towards him just as the ceiling above her came crashing down. He lost her in the dust, her hand yanked away as the rocks piled around her. He closed his eyes, waiting for the dust to clear.

When it did, he looked around for her. Then he saw a fluffy orange tail poking up from the ground a few feet away. With a small, amused smile, he stood and walked towards it. "What are you doing, being buried?" he asked as he reached down and grabbed her tail. He pulled and eventually she popped out of the ground like a vegetable being pulled from the garden bed. She shook her head, ridding her blonde hair of the dust and dirt, and stood up, looking around.

From behind her, he was grinning madly. He pointed at her childishly and sneered, "Ha! The exit's blocked! Serves you right!"

She stood still, and he thought he'd finally upset her. But then she turned to him and smiled brightly, a smile that startled him into taking a step back. "Thank you!" she said cheerfully.

He looked at her incredulously. She was _thanking _him?

"Thanks for helping me out!" she continued, like she didn't notice his surprised look. Then her eyes widened. "Ah! Hold on a second…" She reached into her pockets and rummaged around for a second, him still staring in confusion. Then she pulled something out and extended her hand to him, palm facing up, a small, wrapped item sitting on her gloved hand.

"What's this?" he asked, curious and wary.

"A present for saving me!" she told him, still smiling. "Candy!"

He paused, and pointed at himself. "For me?"

She nodded. "Mm-hmm!"

Still a little wary, he reached out and took it. He looked at it for a minute, awed that someone would actually give him something. There was never enough money, never enough of _anything_, for gifts. But that reminded him of what he was here to do. So he made a face and shouted, "Stop fooling around! Why should I have this?"

Her smile softened into something gentler instead of bold cheerfulness. Something he couldn't place. "Listen," she said in a quieter voice. "You don't have to act like a bad guy. We can't fight in here now anyway."

He was dumbstruck for a moment, unsure of what to think about that. He said out of irritation, "Well, _I _can get out of here by teleportation! You're the one who's in trouble!"

She just giggled, her smile never wavering.

So he stuck his tongue out at her.

She laughed again, a surprisingly nice sound, and walked back to where the exit used to be. She sat against the newly formed rock wall, pulling her knees up to her chest, and gestured to the empty space beside her. She wanted him to sit with her. Since he had nothing else to do while they waited for the oxygen to run out, he scowled and complied.

"So what do you plan on doing about this?" he asked once he was comfortable among all the scattered rocks. He was genuinely curious as to what she wanted to do to try and come out of this alive.

"My friends will save me," she replied. He felt a little startled by her certainty.

"How will they get in?" he questioned, doubt filling his voice.

She shrugged. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "But they'll come for me."

He frowned. "Listen. The exit's been blocked, which means you can't get out of here. Probably means no one can get in, either. And sooner or later you'll either suffocate or be crushed by the rocks." He paused. "Are you scared?"

"No."

"Why not?"

She giggled again and his frown deepened along with his irritation. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

Suddenly she scooted closer, her smile widening at his look of shock that she would move closer to him, the boy who'd just tried to kill her. "If we do die in here," she said with an odd amount of happiness, "we can become fossils together!" And she giggled again.

He leaned away a little, uncomfortable at her nearness, all too aware of the fact it made his eleven-year-old heart beat a little too fast. "L-Like I said," he said, cursing himself mentally for stammering, "_I _can get out of here by teleportation."

"So let's hold hands!" And she reached out and took his hand.

"What?" He jerked his hand away, holding it close to him as if it were injured. "What are you up to?"

She smiled wider. "I think if we were turned into fossils, it would be more fun if we were smiling and holding hands!"

He stared at her for a second. "You're so weird," he finally said.

Then they fell into silence. The girl reached out and began drawing in the dust, and he watched with mild interest. She drew trees and a sun and a monkey before she suddenly drew back her hand, crossing her arms over her knees and lowering her head a little. He went back to staring at nothing.

Finally he asked, "Hey, so why aren't you scared?" But she didn't answer. "I'm talking to you-" He turned and saw her, a gasp ending his sentence. Sweat dripped from her brow, her breathing labored. She was running out of oxygen.

He lifted his hand like he was going to put it on her shoulder, like he was going to comfort her, beginning to say, "Hey, are you all ri-" But then he stopped himself, withdrawing his hand. _What am I doing? She's my enemy!_ He shook his head as if that could shake out the thoughts of wanting to help her. But he couldn't shake the fear in his heart, fear not for himself but for this yellow monkey girl sitting beside him. He swore, feeling so confused. What should he do?

After a minute or two, he just said, "Being human is pretty inconvenient, huh?"

She raised her head, opening her eyes for the first time in a few minutes, looking over at him with some unknown emotion.

He said the only thing he could think. "Tell me you're scared."

She smiled a little. "I'm not, though." Her voice was strained.

"Why not?" he demanded. He had to know before she died. He just had to know why it was impossible to make her cry, to make her scared.

Then she said softly, "Because I'm not alone."

"Eh?"

"My friend is beside me."

His eyes widened a little in shock. "Friend?" he repeated as a question.

She smiled a little wider. "Yup. We're friends," she said.

No. He couldn't have fallen that far. He'd come all this in his quest to see her cry only to end up her friend? No, that couldn't be it. He stood up, the anger boiling in him, but he felt it wasn't exactly directed at the monkey girl. "You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed, clenching his fist. "We're not friends!" Then he looked down and stopped his rant short. She was smiling so sweetly at him, so nicely…

"We're friends," she repeated, then her the light in her eyes dimmed a little, and her head lolled forward against her knees, her eyes closing.

Something in him began to panic for a minute. She was dead! No, she couldn't be dead…why couldn't she be dead? He didn't know, but he leaned over, feeling her wrist for a pulse. There. It was faint, but there. She was alive.

But not for long.

He straightened back up, staring down at her unconscious body as the walls began to tremble around them and dust and rocks streamed to the floor. The cave was collapsing. He should teleport away now, and save himself…but every time he got close, he saw her smiling again in his mind, and he just couldn't do it. He couldn't leave her here alone.

He heard her voice saying in his head, "We're friends!"

Suddenly he shouted at no one, "Argh, it be boring if you died now!" And he let the vines grow, let them rise up and support the dome over their heads, saving thousands of lives without realizing because he only wanted to save the yellow Mew.

When he felt it was sturdy enough to hold without him supporting it, he reached out and picked the girl up, quickly teleporting away to an area empty of spectators behind the dome. He drifted towards the ground slowly, gently placing her onto the concrete. He shook her shoulder as he stood, saying in what he hoped was a normal sounding voice, "Hey. Wake up."

Her eyelids flickered, and then opened. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with slight surprise. "You…"

He scowled.

She sat up slowly, unsteadily, and looked towards the trees. "Are those…?" Then she smiled again and exclaimed happily, "So you saved me!"

"It's not a big deal," he grumbled, but then he saw her smiling again at him.

"Thank you!"

He felt his face redden a little and cursed himself again. Was he _blushing_?

Suddenly her arms wrapped around him, crushing him in a hug as she cheered, "You're my friend! You're my friend! You're my friend!"

His face got even redder and he quickly pushed her off. "Get off of me!" he shouted, and flew up, away from her. She looked up at her, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "Listen," he yelled down at her, hoping the blush had faded. "I only saved your life because I haven't seen you crying yet!" And he took off, away from her and the dome.

As he flew, he remembered something, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the candy she'd given him. He stared at it, wondering if he should throw it down and erase any evidence that the day under the dome had actually happened. But he couldn't make himself do that. Instead he found himself grinning as he tucked the candy back into the safety of his pocket.

* * *

The eleventh time, she was crying.

She was crying for him. Because at the last minute, he couldn't fight against her and her wonderful smiles and kind heart. He couldn't make himself. So he fought against Pai instead. He lost, of course. He was nowhere near the skill of being able to defeat Pai in battle. So, his chest burning, he'd plummeted to the ground. He heard her scream his name, or, rather, his nickname that she'd given him.

Then he'd hit the ground and all he knew was pain, pain, _pain_. He felt his bones snap on the impact, heard his screams mix with that of hers, felt his consciousness slipping away…then warm, comforting arms wrapped around him, pulling him close. Something wet dripped onto his face. Through cracked eyelids, he saw blurrily that she was crying over him, that she was holding him. Of course. That was how it should end, considering he was dying for her now.

He felt…content, then.

"Didn't I tell you fighting is less fun than playing as friends?" she whispered, her voice shaky and thick with tears. "So…why did this happen? _Why did this have to happen?_" More tears hit his face.

He wanted to see her smile one last time. But he couldn't make his mouth move to form the words, wasn't sure she'd be able to smile anyway. So he just let his eyes close completely.

He died.

* * *

The twelfth time, he'd been resurrected by the Mew Aqua. He, Kish, and Pai were leaving for their planet, to find a different way to save their people, because, in the end, none of them could kill the Mews. They couldn't bring themselves to do it.

A large crack that was ever widening separated them, but he saw her, standing on the other side, tears filling her eyes. But they were happy. He smiled at her, a genuine smile, a first for her to see. She beamed back, and he felt like he could fly, without his powers.

"Come back and visit!" she shouted.

He just smiled because, sadly, he couldn't promise it. But he could promise one thing. "I'll miss you…Pudding!" That was the first time he called her anything but "monkey girl" or "the yellow Mew".

She smiled wider. "I'll miss you, too…Taruto!"

And then they had to teleport away.

But Taruto never forgot the times he saw Pudding Fong.


End file.
